Reporter Gary Webb Dead at 49

[John Simkin]

Apologies, didn't mean to be/get redundant. I came across a couple of references to Webb, didn't know there were already established threads.

I have just received my copy of Nick Schou's recently published book, "Kill the Messenger: How the CIA's Crack-Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb". The book's final chapter looks at the possibility that Webb was murdered because he was investigating another CIA operation. I will report on Schou's findings during the next couple of weeks.

[Nathaniel Heidenheimer]

The book is published by left gatekeeper #1 The Nation Magazine. Of course it will conclude that he was not murdered.

I am not suggesting that this fact proves that he was murdered. I havn't read enough about the allegations to make this statement.

What is of just as much imporatance is how the book describes the conscious CIA attempt to malign Webb. How closely does it go into the collaboration between the agency and leading journalists of elite agenda setting publications? An interesting comparison might be made with Cockburns book Whiteout, which, IN AN INTERESTING CONTRAST WITH COCKBURNS dismissive attitude towards JFK assassination and 9/11stuff, is overwhelmingly supportive of a "conspiracy theory" to get Webb. (Of course this was written well before his death).

[John Simkin]

I am currently carrying out some research into the Washington Post reporter, Walter Pincus. He led the attack on Gary Webb when he published his series of articles on CIA involvement with the Contras and the drug industry. After Dark Alliance was published Pincus wrote: "A Washington Post investigation into Ross, Blandon, Meneses, and the U.S. cocaine market in the 1980s found the available information does not support the conclusion that the CIA-backed contras - or Nicaraguans in general - played a major role in the emergence of crack as a narcotic in widespread use across the United States."

The Washington Post refused to publish Webb's letters when he attempted to defend his views on the CIA. This included information that Pincus had been recruited by the CIA when he was at Yale University in order to spy on student groups at several international youth conferences in the 1950s. Later, Geneva Overholster, the Washington Post ombudsman, criticized Pincus and other reporters working for the newspaper: "A principal responsibility of the press is to protect the people from government excesses. The Washington Post (among others) showed more energy for protecting the CIA from someone else's journalistic excesses."

When Gary Webb committed suicide, French journalist, Paul Moreira, made a television documentary for France's Canal Plus. He interviewed Pincus and asked him why he had not reported on the CIA's inspector general report admitting the agency worked with drug dealers throughout the 1980s. Pincus was unable to explain why he and other mainstream journalists completely ignored this report that helped to support Webb's case against the CIA.

Marc Cooper of LA Weekly admitted: "What I can say is that the media killed his career. That's obvious and it's really a nauseating and very discouraging story, because as a journalist, the only thing you have is your credibility. When that is shredded, there's no way to rebuild it... This is an outstanding case where three of the major newspapers in the country decided to take out somebody, a competitor whose mistakes seem by any measure to be very minor."

[John Geraghty]

I have just viewed the photographs of a deceased Gary Webb. One can clearly see two entry bullet wounds, there is no doubt about that. The gun that Webb supposedly used was a .38 and would have inflicted considerable damage to the skull. I find the idea of a double shot suicide highly implausible, as at the range and placing of the shots one would at least be knocked out by the force of the shot and would be unable to attempt it a second time.

The proposed second autopsy was to be performed by Cyril Wecht, known to many JFK researchers. Before Wecht had a chance to perform the autopsy the Webb family had Gary's remains cremated. I think this may be due, in part, to Mike Ruppert's insistence that there was nothing suspicious about his death.

Wecht's assistant, who has performed thousands of autopsies, a considerable number of which were suicides, says that he has never seen a double shot suicide.

The placing of the wounds are approximately as placed on the attached photo as I have noted.

Edited July 7, 2007 by John Geraghty

[Sid Walker]

I have just viewed the photographs of a deceased Gary Webb. One can clearly see two entry bullet wounds, there is no doubt about that. The gun that Webb supposedly used was a .38 and would have inflicted considerable damage to the skull. I find the idea of a double shot suicide highly implausible, as at the range and placing of the shots one would at least be knocked out by the force of the shot and would be unable to attempt it a second time.

The proposed second autopsy was to be performed by Cyril Wecht, known to many JFK researchers. Before Wecht had a chance to perform the autopsy the Webb family had Gary's remains cremated. I think this may be due, in part, to Mike Ruppert's insistence that there was nothing suspicious about his death.

Wecht's assistant, who has performed thousands of autopsies, a considerable number of which were suicides, says that he has never seen a double shot suicide.

The placing of the wounds are approximately as placed on the attached photo as I have noted.

Thanks John

Very interesting.

Where did you come across photos of Gary Webb's corpse?

[Guest David Guyatt]

Double taps and even triple and quadruple taps are a common feature of suicides... according to the British Ministry of Defence anyway. Lots of their soldiers in their UK barracks commit suicide in tis manner, don't ya' know.

On the drugs side, I always thought Operation Watchtower was some of the clearest evidence available on the US sanctioned drugs traffick.

David

[John Simkin]

I urge all members to see the film Kill the Messenger about the life of Gary Webb. It is the best film I have seen this year and the best one that has ever been made about how the CIA control the mainstream press in the USA (Operation Mockingbird).

http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKwebbG.htm